KUALA LUMPUR: E. Elavarasan's decision to vacate his position as the national Under-23 coach has caught the attention of the football community in the country.
Since becoming the coach on Sept 1 last year, Elavarasan's track record has been far from poor.
Under his guidance, the squad achieved significant milestones.
They clinched the Merlion Cup in Singapore in May, reached the semi-finals of the Asean Under-23 Championships in Rayong in August, and secured a spot in the Under-23 Asian Cup in Doha next year through the qualifiers in Chonburi earlier this month.
The only real blot on the copybook for Elavarasan was at the Phnom Penh Sea Games in May, where the squad failed to progress beyond the group stage.
The FA of Malaysia (FAM), in a statement released yesterday, revealed that Elavarasan and FAM president Datuk Hamidin Amin had a heart-to-heart talk after the squad returned from Chonburi. As a result of their discussion, Elavarasan decided to step down from his position to fully focus on assisting Kim Pan Gon with the senior squad.
Questions have arisen regarding whether fan dissatisfaction expressed on social media, following Malaysia's 1-0 loss to Thailand in Chonburi, influenced Elavarasan to resign or pressured FAM in any way.
To be fair to Elavarasan, one year was hardly enough for him to truly stamp his mark as he had previously done with several M-League sides.
Additionally, the fact that the Under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers were not scheduled during the Fifa international window made it challenging for him to secure the release of players for longer training camps.
FAM has disclosed that his replacement will be announced after consultation with relevant parties.
When contacted, Elavarasan declined to comment on his resignation and stated that he would issue a statement today.
The Malaysian football community eagerly awaits his side of the story.